Five years ago, a young American couple that had developed a fondness for the Middle East while working as consultants decided to make a more permanent move to the region – by joining Aramco to tackle some of the world’s most ambitious engineering projects.

And they have settled into their new lives with enthusiasm. They have started a family, joined recreational sports teams, vacationed in exotic destinations, struck a work-life balance better than they had imagined, made new friends from all over the world, and enjoyed unmatched career opportunities.

This is the story of Samantha and Nick Sealover. They are part of a new group of dual-career expatriate couples at the company. Their two young children born overseas qualify to attend an affordable daycare facility and will then attend Aramco Expatriate Schools, which provide an American curriculum for grades PK4 through 9.

“I have been very impressed,” Nick said. “The teachers are well-qualified, the daycare facility is well-structured, and they are in tune with current teaching methods.”

Nick belongs to a men’s softball team and plays soccer and disc golf. Samantha has been active in several soccer teams, including one that became part of Saudi Arabia’s women’s soccer league.

“Aramco has self-directed groups for just about every sport and activity you could imagine,” Samantha said. “The groups are a great way to exercise, meet people, and learn new things. Now I know all the Arabic terms used in soccer.”

They have traveled inside and outside the country, visiting the Maldives, New Zealand, Saudi mountains and deserts, luxury resorts in places like the Red Sea and Dubai, and traditional Bedouin camps where they drank tea, ate dates, and talked for hours with local friends.

It is not uncommon for expats to take vacations of 3-5 weeks at least once a year – enough time to reconnect with family in the U.S. or visit and learn about a new place in Europe or Asia.

“The family-focused resorts in this part of the world are amazing,” Samantha said.  

When they are at home in Saudi, their routine includes frequent visits to nearby beaches and swimming pools operated by the company. Flocks of families gather at these facilities so their kids can play together.

In their downtime, they are grateful they can spend quality time with their children while living in one of Aramco’s planned communities. Chores associated with owning a house, like fixing a cabinet or a leaky faucet, are not a concern.

“Here, if you have an issue with your house, you call a number and it gets fixed in an hour,” Nick said. “The company and government are digitalizing everything, so things like viewing and renewing IDs and registrations and booking medical appointments can be handled by an app on your phone.”

They are both fire protection engineers who met as students at the University of Maryland.

“One of the draws for us was the opportunity to work on megaprojects. Here, within weeks of starting your job, if you show you are capable, you will be working on multi-billion-dollar projects,” he said. “There is so much construction going on that you get exposed to every type of project imaginable, from schools to industrial facilities.”

They are very happy right where they are.

“When our parents came to visit us, they realized why we like it so much,” Samantha said. “In addition to the resources, opportunities, and work-life balance, working abroad — especially in this region where there is no local income tax — makes good financial sense and the company’s retirement benefits program is top-notch.”

To learn more about the Aramco expatriate lifestyle and explore opportunities, visit www.aramco.jobs.